Florida gamer pleads guilty to killing dad, injuring mom
Joseph David Voigt (Orange County Jail).
The video game fan who shot his parents in Polk County, Florida, after his father told him to get a job has pleaded guilty.
Joseph David Voigt, 24, admitted to shooting and killing his dad, 63-year-old Marvin Voigt, and injuring his 58-year-old mother. Originally charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, Joseph Voigt on Monday accepted a guilty plea to those charges in the second degree, court records show.
The defendant faces between 26 years and life in prison when he’s sentenced, per records. A sentencing date has yet to be set.
In a news release, deputies said their police counterparts in the city of Bartow arrived at the Voigt home Dec. 7. As Law&Crime previously reported, the slain victim was dead in the driveway from apparent gunshot wounds. His wife was also injured and located in the house. She told cops that their son had shot them and fled. She survived the shooting.
After the suspect allegedly ran away from the scene, Bartow cops reached out to their sheriff’s office counterparts for help. Authorities put out a “be on the lookout” call for Polk County and the surrounding area. Eventually, law enforcement tracked down suspect Voigt’s car in Orlando on International Drive. Local cops did a traffic stop, arresting him. He was booked into the Orange County Jail and later extradited to Polk County.
“PCSO deputies spoke to Voigt and he admitted to shooting both his father and mother,” deputies wrote. “He said his father was upset with him about spending the majority of his time playing video games and ‘riding his a—’ about making something of himself and getting a job. Joseph Voigt’s criminal history includes arrests for firing a weapon in a residential area, and battery.”
